Advertising apparatus



June 16, 1925. 1,542,120

H. WIDRE ADVERTIS ING APPARATUS Filed April 16, 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 I Jnocnfoz June 16, 1925.

H. WIDRE ADVERTISING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April lfi. .1923

June 16, 1925. I 1,542,120

H. WIDRE ADVERTI S I NG APPARATUS Filed hpx il 16. 1923 s Sheets-Sheet s i a WWWWIIAWWWMWWIIMJ jigf j j ifldre I Patented June 16, 1925.

a UNITED STATES PATENT orrlca.

nAnRY wxnan, or nnraorr, MICHIGAN.

ADVERTISING APPARATUS.

Application filed April 16, 1923.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LHARRY WIDRE, a citizen of Russia, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne, State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Advertising Apparatus, of Which the "following is aspecification, reference being had therein to the 'accompanyingdra-W- ings. y

This invention relates to an advertising apparatus by which a large number ofsigns,

pictures, or Other display matter can be intermittently projectedvon the screens, Walls or other surfaces, and the apparatus has been designed so that it maybe mountedon a suitable vehicle for street advertisingormay be located in the WlIldOWS or show cases of buildings for attracting the attention of the public. There are many Ways in which the L apparatus may be used for displaying advertiseinents and my invention in its broadest aspect involves-an apparatusthatfis automatic in its action for intermittently displaying advertisements or other matter, the apparatus including a plurality of projecting machineswhich may be actuated in syn chronism from aprime mover Each proecting machine includes a rotary film, plate, or negative holder adapted to. support a large number of negatives which may be intion upon an ajdjacent surface, asa screen. My inventionialsofaims to provide a plurality of picture projecting machineswherein the picture negatives areint'ermittently moved from a'single source of power vith the machines adjustablejrelative to the source of power for projecting pictures or signs in desired directions. Provision s also made for operating the machines in fsynchronism orone machine independent of the others.

1 My invention further aims to providea'n "adyertising apparatus hy which a large; volume of advertising matter may be brought topublic attentioniat a minimum expense,

and theconstruction of my apparatuswill be hereinafterspecifically described and then claimed.

Reference willfno'w had to the drawings, wherein a b Figure 1 is a plan of the apparatus 'yvlth the "housing or hood in horizontal section Fig; is a longitudinal sectional "View takenon'the line IIII ofFig. l; 1 l

1 Fig. eis asimilar View takenon line able machines of the apparatus.

Serial No- 632,333.

Fig. 4 is a perspective View of a portion of one of the rotary film holders;

Fig. 5is alongitudinal sectional view of the same; s

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view illustrating an arrangement of screens relative to the advertising apparatus, and

, Fig. 7 is a side elevation of one of the picture projecting machines illustrating a modified form the same. v The advertising apparatus may include a plurality of projecting machines and in the drawings threemachines have been shown and generally designatedl i, B and C, the machine B being stationary and the machines A and C adjustable relative thereto. 'The stationary machine B comprises a bearing l having opposed arms 2 with. the

of operating mechanism for shaft 3 journaled in the upper ends of said arms. Mounted onthe shaft 3 is a cylindrical skeleton frame or holder 4 having equally spaced apertures throughout the periphery thereof and the periphery of said holder is channel shaped in crosssection so thata filmor diapositive 6 may be placed about the holder between the side flanges thereof. The film 6 is [drawn taut and its ends held under clampingbars 8 retainedon at ransverse support 9 by nut equipped bolts 10, said clamping bars constituting fasteners which the ends o fth e film may be firmly held against accidental displacement. The pictures or other mattenon the films 7are adapted for. matched registration Withthe apertures 5 ofsaid holder and the film pictures or signs are adapted to be intermittently shifted into alinemeutwith a conventional form of projector 11 carried by the upper end oiia third arm lQf rmingpart of the bearing 1.

" At one side of the arm 12is.abracket 13 for a conventional form of lamp 7 housing 14:, said bracket extending into the holder 4, adjacent its inner Wall so that. a lamp 15 Within the lamp housing will be, in prox- "imity to the apertures 5 of the film holder as said apertures are shifted to a of rest between the lampaldand t eproosition jector 11; The lamp 15 has leading-in conjductors 16 from asocket'17 carriedby a conduit 18 adjacent the bearingfl, said conduit permittingbf leading-in Wires being safely carried to the stationary and mov- The bearing 1 ofthestationary machine ters are adapted to normally close openings 26 in the wall 23 and the walls 22 are provided with doors 27, while the motor compartment 21 has a door 28. The cabi net .20 provides an enclosure for the apparatus and said compartment may be fire proof to permit of the films or negatives being safely used.

The adjustable projecting machines A and .C are very similar (to the stationary machine B, with the exception that thebearing 1 of each movable machine is sli-dqable on a curved slotted base or support 29 and adapted to be fixed thereon by a nut equipped bolt 30 which clamps the bear- 1 ing to the base or support, as best shown in Fig. The bearings of the adjustable machines have rearwardly extending arms 31 with the inner converging ends thereof provided with cross heads 32 arranged so that the inner ends of said heads overlap and may be pivotally held by a fixed post or shaft 33 mounted in a frame 34 fastened to the platform or floor 19. With the adjustable machines A. and C pivotally held relative to the stationary machine B, said adjustable machines can be swung in an arc and together with the stationary machine project pictures or signs in diverging directions, thus permitting of I separate screens being positioned for the display 7f the projected pictures or signs. The adjustable machines A and C have leading-in wires and conductors similar to the stationary machine 13.

Between the frame 34 and the stationary machine B are bearings 35 for shafts 36 and 37 provided with beveled meshing gear wheels 38. On the shaft 37 is a sprocket wheel longitudinally alining with a sprocket wheel 4O- on the shaft, 3 of the stationary machine and trained over these sprocket, wheels is an endless "sprocket chain} 41,

The gear wheel 38 of theshaft 36 may be carriedby a clutch member-42 loose on the shaft 36 and adapted to be fixedffor rotation with said shaft by a shiftable clutch member 43 having an operatinglever 4 that ay be held in an adjustedposition relative" tothe bearing 35, It is through the medium the clutch members 42 and 43" that the stationary machine B may be disconnected from the prime mover v or source of power employed to operate all of he pr ieetiagma hines gear wheels may have the hub portions thereof clamped against the sprocket wheels 47 by tightening nuts 52 on the spindles 50. It is by virtue of these nuts that either of the beveled gear wheels 51 may :2 idle and permit of one adjustable projecting machine being used independent of the other.

the rear end of the shaft 86 is a beveled ,gear wheel 53 and this whee-l, together with the beveled gear wheels 51-, meshes with a sun gear 54 having its hub fixed on the hub 55 of a horizontally disposed large gear wheel .56, said gear wheel having its hub .55 loose on the upper end of a post or shaft The large gear wheel 56 meshes with the small gear wheel 57 rotatable on a shaft 58 supported by the frame 34, said small gear wheel forming part of a radially slotted ese5 capement member 59 adapted to be intermittently rotated byengagement with a pin 60 carried by a pin wheel 61 having its hub portion integral with a horizontally disposed gear wheel 62 loose on a pin or shaft .am 63 carried by the frame 34. The pin wheel '61 has a hub portion cut away to provide clearance for portions of the escapement member 59 during its movement by the pin 60 entering slots of said member. a

The large gear wheel 62 meshes with a small gear wheel 63 mounted on the arma ture shaft 64 of an electric motor 65 supported from the frame 34 and said electric motor may receive power from an ordinary electric lighting circuit. 7

From the foregoing it will be observed that when the electric motor 65 is placed in operation that the sun gear 54 will be intermittently rotated and by virtue of the power transmission mechanism between the sun gear and the projecting machines the rotary holders 4 of said machines may be intermittently moved, thus permitting each picture or sign carried by the holders 4 to remain at rest a short interval of time between the lamp and the projector of each machine,

sothat each picture will be thrown upon screens or surfaces in spaced relation to the cabinetQQ A I In Fig. 6 of thepdrawingsl show an arrangement of screens 66-representing surfaces on which pictures or signs may be projected, said screens being disposed at an g e re ative to each other and somewhat 139 isolated by converging partitions 67. It is in this connection that the screens 66 and the partitions 67 may represent a portion of a vehicle body in which the projecting ma chines may be operated and with the vehicle moving about the streets an extensive advertising campaign maybe carried on.

It is obvious that each projecting machine may be used independent of the others, as a unit, and I may use various kinds of mechanism for intermittently actuatingthe rotary film holder. As an instance of such mechanism there is shown in Fig. 7 7 an elec trically operated and timed ratchet mechanism including-a ratchet wheel 68 fixed to the film holder 4. Loose on the shaft 3 of the film holder is a three-arm bell crank 69 having one of its arms provided with a gravity pawl 70 engaging the ratchet wheel 68. Another arm is connected by a coiled .retractile spring 71 to one of the arms 2 of the bearing 1. The remaining arm of the bell crank 69 is pivotally .connected by a link 72 to the core 73 of a solenoid 74, carried by a bracket 7 5 attached to the arm 2. This arm may be provided with stops 76 to limit the rocking movement of the bell; crank 69.

The solenoid 7 4 is in circuit with a suitable source of electrical energy 77 and a switch including a rotary contact member 7 8 and a yieldable stationary contact member 79. The rotary contact member 78 ma be driven by a conventional form of 0100 mechanism 80 and this clock mechanism may be of that form which can be usedas a time switch for regulating the time during which the machine is to be used by turning on and 0H the electrical current at specified times, thus making the machine automatic throughout.

It is, thought that the operation and utility of my invention will be apparent without further description, and while in the drawings there are illustrated the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that the structural elements are susceptible to such changes, in size, shape and manner of assembling as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is 1. An advertising apparatus comprising diverging projecting machines, a dark cabinet for said diverging projecting machines, some of said machines being adjustable relative to a common pivot in said cabinet, means for fixing the adjustable machines relative to the pivot, and slidable shutters forming part of said cabinet and through which shutters said machines extend.

2. An advertising apparatus comprising horizontally pivoted projecting machines 7 adapted to be swung in an arc, each machine including a rotary diapositive holder, and means adjacent the pivot of said machines for intermittently rotating the holders of said machines.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HARRY WIDRE.

Witnesses r ANNA M. DoRR,

KARL H. BUTLER. 

